McConnell Boxes In Tea Party Rival With Joint Pledge To Back GOP Nominee

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has pledged to support whoever wins the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, even if that's McConnell's primary challenger, Matt Bevin.

Kentucky's Republican Party is calling on both candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual Republican nominee, whether it's Bevin or McConnell, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The McConnell campaign said the top Senate Republican would support the nominee, even if it isn't him.

"From day one, Sen. McConnell has committed to supporting the winner of the primary election," McConnell spokesman Allison Moore said according to the Kentucky newspaper. "The stakes of this election are too high to give President Obama another vote in the U.S. Senate with Alison Lundergan Grimes."

Bevin's campaign, meanwhile, did comment on the pledge.

Polling of the race has shown Bevin's chances of winning the nomination fading. In April, Bevin's campaign also lost a few staffers.